It’s easy to underestimate how much the world changes during a person’s lifetime.
Technology has the ability to change the world in ways we couldn't imagine until they actually happen.
Looking back at the technological history of this world will help us see clearly the changes that may occur in the next few years or even decades.
When our ancestors were children, it was difficult to imagine a world connected by smartphones and the Internet.
Likewise, for us, there are many technologies in the future that may be beyond our imagination.
Let’s look at human technological changes from the perspective of historical development.
The timeline starts at the center of the spiral.
That was 3.4 million years ago, when humans first used stone tools, which marked the beginning of the history of human technology.
Then, each rotation of the spiral represents the passage of 200,000 years.
It took our ancestors 2.4 million years, or 12 revolutions, to master fire and use it for cooking.
In order to see the technological innovations of the last 12,000 years, we will expand the spiral so that there is more space to show agriculture, writing and the invention of the wheel. During this time, the rate of technological change, while accelerating, remained relatively slow: these three inventions alone took several thousand years.
Beginning in 1800, many major inventions began to emerge. From writing, to paper, to printing, to the telegraph, telephone, radio, all the way to the Internet and smartphones.
And the speed of emergence is also increasing. In 1903, the Wright brothers made the first flight in human history (less than a minute in the air), and 66 years later, we have landed on the moon. So many people witness two major events in their lives: the first airplane and the first moon landing.
Technology has had a widespread impact on our lives. Humans have developed vaccines that eradicated smallpox, and also developed nuclear bombs that threaten our lives.
What will the next few decades bring?
Innovations such as new vaccines, clean, low-carbon energy, and better cancer treatments have the potential to dramatically improve our living conditions and the environment around us.
And there is a technology that may change our world even more profoundly: artificial intelligence (AI).
The reason why artificial intelligence is such an important innovation is because intelligence is the main driver of innovation. With artificial intelligence, technological changes will be driven more quickly. Changes that currently take decades could happen in as little as a year, or even sooner.
AI technology may have a fundamental impact on our world. This technology is already changing our world. It's up to all of us to make sure it helps the world, not harms it.
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